In early June I had the privilege of returning to the civil protection beat, as co-moderator of the 8th Civil Protection Forum in Brussels, where the attendance alone underscored the growing importance of this dedicated community: some 1500 delegates from 70 countries packed the house over two days, making it the largest event of its kind to date. The forum was a chance for policy-makers, operational experts and researchers to reflect on the past five years of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), and to celebrate its achievements while frankly discussing ways to further improve Europe’s disaster-resilience.
Highlights were honouring the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, whose leadership has been instrumental in advancing the UCPM during a period that saw some unprecedented challenges, and engaging panel discussions with the Interior Ministers of Lithuania (Agnè Bilotaité) and Finland (Mari Rantanen). A special mention also to the Booth of Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, where we could take a VR flight over the Stromboli volcano – an amazing way to learn about the island’s risks and good civil protection practices.
Photos: © DG ECHO